Song: Revival of the White Imperials
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When Byakuya and Tetsuya are afflicted with odd symptoms, Byakuya is forced to turn to the last person he would ever trust for information. What he and Aizen Sousuke uncover together could spell the end for Byakuya, Aizen, Tetsuya and Renji. Red Angel, Phoenix Dancer, Dragon Imperial and fallen king will fight their way to their fate! mpreg


**Song: Revival of the White Imperials**

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**(A wonderful Aizen/Bya and Renji/Tetsuya storyline that I hope to make into a series...suggested by and wholeheartedly dedicated to Yonaka Kyoki! Thank you for the beautiful suggestion. *hugs*)**

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_Master, may I ask you something personal?_

Tetsuya smiled at the question, his sapphire blue eyes scanning the area below the tree covered cliff they stood on.

"Of course, Arashi," he answered, glancing up at the tall black Arabian stallion, "Is something wrong?"

_No, _the stallion's wispy voice intoned in his mind, _It is just that I have noticed something...an emotion within you that I do not think I have sensed before._

"Have you?"

_Yes, _Arashi replied, bowing his head slightly to nuzzle his shinigami companion affectionately, _When that man is around you. It seems something like happiness, but also like anxiety. Your eyes change. They grow darker and the pupils widen. Your heart flutters strangely and beats faster. And there is a restlessness in you._

"Yes. I am aware."

_Master, what is this emotion? Is it a good thing? What does it mean?_

"This feeling," Tetsuya said, closing his eyes, "it is a good thing. It is something that I felt for someone once before. And it is a welcome thing, although it is wholly unexpected and makes a heart more vulnerable."

_But, what is it?_

Tetsuya's smile widened and his head bowed slightly as he kept his eyes closed and breathed in the warm spring breezes.

"It is love, Arashi."

_Love? I understand love. And this does feel something like what I know. But it is different also._

"Yes, Arashi. There are different kinds of love. There is one's love of places and things that resonate in a good way...places like home, your warm, comfortable stall...things like sweet apples...the cool lake water on a hot day. And we feel love for people and creatures we know...family, friends and in this case...lovers."

_Lovers? You and this man? But...?_

"Oh, Renji-san and I are not lovers," Tetsuya said, blushing, "at least, not at this point. But when one begins to feel as we do when we encounter each other, it opens up the possibility that those people can become lovers someday."

_And if Renji-san said that he wanted to be your lover, you would...accept him?_

Tetsuya swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he considered the question.

_I am sorry, Master. I am intruding. I didn't mean to..._

"You are not intruding," Tetsuya said, opening his eyes and meeting Arashi's like colored ones, "You and I are soul mates, Arashi. What affects one affects us both."

_But I cannot have love like what you feel, ne? I am not like the spirit steeds here in Soul Society._

"No, you are different from them. But do not forget, Arashi, that you and I are being trained to serve in the soul king's Norite. There are others like us. You needn't fear that you will never know love."

Arashi's ear rotated slightly to take in the sound of a familiar approaching step and one blue equine eye observed the trees just behind the stallion's master.

"You, I think, will someday find the one who is right for you, as I have found Abarai Renji."

Arashi gave a soft snicker as Renji flash stepped out of the trees and slipped his arms around his surprised friend from behind.

"R-renji-san!" Tetsuya exclaimed, going still and blushing furiously as the redhead's lips came close to a flushed earlobe, teasing the area with his warm breath, "It is not polite to eavesdrop."

He turned a glaring blue eye on Arashi.

"Nor is it polite to let your companion be waylaid like..."

"Sorry," Renji said, panting slightly from exertion and his scent sending a giddy, light-headed feeling through the captured noble, "I was going to just slip away into the trees again to let you finish your conversation with ol' Fleabag, there. But I heard you say my name and I couldn't help but be curious. You don't talk a lot about what you're thinking, so you keep a guy at a disadvantage."

"Erm...I..."

"Well, the _cat's out of the bag_, as they say," Renji went on, his fingers lacing together with Tetsuya's as he continued to embrace the noble from behind, "I know what you're thinking now, Tetsuya-san."

"Renji-san..." Tetsuya began, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the smiling redhead.

Renji's hands tightened their hold on his and his lips surprised Tetsuya's with a sudden kiss. Tetsuya's slender body went taut for a moment, his dark blue eyes widening sweetly at the stunning impact of the unexpected exchange. He inhaled and found his senses wonderfully shocked with Renji's pleasant, masculine scent. His legs weakened beneath him as Renji's hot tongue teased his lips, then plunged deeply into his mouth. The powerful thrust of that impatient, hungry tongue sent lovely, electric jolts all through Tetsuya's softly shivering body. He smiled weakly against Renji's marauding lips and risked a glance up into the redhead's glinting, red-brown eyes. He lost his breath at the intensity of what burned there, and felt his heart race faster.

_Master, _Arashi's voice whispered in his whirling mind, _Do you want me to make him stop?_

_Oh...n-no, _Tetsuya thought back, his eyelids fluttering softly, _This is...!_

"Hey," Renji said, releasing Tetsuya's lips, but keeping the other man comfortably trapped in his arms, "Fleabag, you mind? I kinda want to be alone with Tetsuya-san. I think you're distracting him."

Tetsuya opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and frowned.

"Something wrong?" Renji asked, playing absently with several wavy black strands of the younger man's fluttering hair.

"Do you hear that, Renji-san?" Tetsuya asked, his frown deepening and his eyes growing troubled.

"Do I hear what?" Renji asked, smirking, "Your heart pounding?"

"Music," Tetsuya said more softly, straining his ears to listen, "It sounds familiar...and it is strange. I feel like I have heard this before. It's so odd...and it is growing louder. You do not hear it?"

Renji's lips curved downward and he strained his ears as well.

"No," he said, after a few moments, "I don't hear anything. How about you, Fleabag?"

Arashi lifted his elegant head, rotating his ears, this way and that, then letting out a huff of breath.

_I hear only the breeze in the trees, birdsong and insect noises. There is no music, Master._

He gazed at Tetsuya questioningly, then a moment later, he stiffened.

_Wait a minute..._

"You hear something now? Cause, I don't hear a thing. Are you two messing with me or something?"

But the look on Tetsuya's face told the redhead there was no joke being played.

"This is so strange!" Tetsuya exclaimed softly, "The sound is so loud, Renji-san! How can you not hear it? It is all around."

He flinched uncomfortably as the volume of the song increased to the point of becoming painful.

"Tetsuya-san!" Renji exclaimed, taking hold of the noble and glaring down into his widened eyes as Tetsuya took a shocked breath and collapsed, "Whoa! Hey..."

He glanced at Arashi, just as the stallion squealed fearfully and his reiatsu flared fitfully.

"Arashi, what's happening?" Renji cried, laying Tetsuya on the ground and flash stepping in the direction of the distressed horse.

Arashi squealed again, the light around his body becoming blinding.

"Arashi!" Renji shouted, using his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light.

The light disappeared suddenly and Renji gave a gasp of dismay as he realized that Arashi had disappeared. He turned back and ran to Tetsuya's side, sweeping up the young noble and turning towards the fourth division.

"Damn, you're burning up!" he exclaimed softly, feeling the heat of his friend's body through his clothing, "Hang in there, okay? I'll have you down at the fourth in no time!"

He whispered a quick message to a hell butterfly, then turned back in the direction they had come and flash stepped swiftly across the Seireitei.

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"Where is my cousin?" Byakuya asked urgently as he entered the fourth division, "I was told that Tetsuya collapsed and was brought here."

"Yes, he was," Kotetsu Isane explained, standing, "I will take you to his room, sir."

"Arigatou."

Byakuya followed the fourth division fukutaichou down several hallways to the quarantine section of the hospital.

"Tetsuya has been isolated?" Byakuya asked, "Why is that?"

"Oh, do not worry, Kuchiki taichou," Isane assured him, It is standard procedure when there may be an unknown communicable disease or foreign agent involved. It is just a precaution until we identify what happened. But Unohana taichou will speak more to you about that. Come this way."

They reached a room at the end of the quarantine ward and the fourth division fukutaichou touched a button on the wall outside the chamber, informing Unohana that Byakuya had arrived.

"Is that Renji in with them?" Byakuya asked, "Why risk exposing him?"

"Abarai fukutaichou was with Tetsuya-san and brought him in. He would have been exposed anyway and, in any case, refused to leave your cousin's side."

"Ah," said the clan leader, a note of understanding in his expression, "Yes, they have become close since Tetsuya joined the sixth division."

"Here comes Unohana taichou, sir."

Byakuya watched as the fourth division taichou stepped into a reiatsu cleaning and scanning chamber, then was cleared and stepped out into the hallway.

"Kuchiki taichou, I am glad that you are here."

"Is Tetsuya all right?" the noble asked quickly, "Renji's message said that my cousin collapsed suddenly and that his spirit steed disappeared."

"Yes," acknowledged Unohana taichou, "He told me that as well. Tetsuya-san was running a very high fever when he arrived and it has only gotten higher since his arrival. In most cases, such a fever would be dangerous, but strangely, his vital functions have not been affected. But two odd things have happened. And being that he is noble and there are some oddities of nature in the noble families, I thought that you could possibly enlighten me as to whether his symptoms sound familiar."

"What are his symptoms?"

"Renji-san said that Tetsuya spoke of hearing music. At first, he heard it, but Arashi and Renji-san did not. Then, Arashi began to hear the music as well, although Renji-san still did not. It was then that Tetsuya-san collapsed and Arashi disappeared in a flash of light."

"Arashi disappeared?" Byakuya asked, frowning worriedly.

"He is still with Tetsuya-san," the healer reported.

"Still...with him?" Byakuya repeated questioningly.

"Arashi's reiatsu has merged with Tetsuya-san's body. Now, I know that Tetsuya-san has recently been identified as one to be trained for the king's Norite and that when fully trained, such a merging will be an act of will. But here in the Seireitei in his not yet transcended form, Tetsuya-san's body should not be strong enough to bear the power of their combined reiatsu...and yet, he seems to be doing so with no physical effects beyond the very high fever and having lost consciousness. And even those effects may or may not be related to the merging. This may be something else entirely."

"May I enter the chamber?" Byakuya asked quietly, "I will take whatever precautions you wish."

"Of course," said the healer, "But you must carefully follow the quarantine protocols until his illness or condition is identified."

"I will."

"Kuchiki taichou, before we enter the chamber, can you tell me, do you know of any familial conditions or illnesses may be involved?"

Byakuya thought carefully, then shook his head.

"No, I know of nothing that sounds like this. But I will research the family records upon my return to Kuchiki Manor and will send the information along to Urahara Kisuke as well. He may be able to divine more."

"That is a good idea. Do not worry, Kuchiki taichou. Tetsuya-san, despite his feverish state and his unconsciousness, does not appear to be in any real danger. We are trying to bring the fever down and Renji-san has managed to stir him slightly."

"I am glad to hear that," the noble said, following Unohana into the reiatsu cleaning and scanning chamber.

They donned special protective clothing and entered Tetsuya's room. Renji looked up and sighed in relief at the arrival of his taichou.

"Taichou!" he said quickly, "I'm glad you're here. He's doing okay, but this is some weird shit that's going on!"

"Unohana taichou was kind enough to explain to me," Byakuya informed his fukutaichou, "I thank you for remaining with Tetsuya while he was examined. You are free to go now, if you wish."

"Erm...thanks Taichou," Renji said, blushing slightly, "B-but I would really like to stay if that's all right. I just...I want to stay with him, okay?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Byakuya's lips.

"Very well, Renji. You are welcome to stay."

"Thank you, sir."

Byakuya left the redhead's side and moved closer to Tetsuya. He looked quietly down at his cousin's discomfited expression.

"Unohana taichou said that you had been able to get some kind of response," Byakuya said softly, "Has he been lucid at all?"

"N-no, not really, Taichou," Renji answered, his worried eyes straying to his friend, "His eyelids fluttered a bit when I talked to him and he tried to say something."

"What did he say?"

"Eh, it sounded like aka no mitsukai...red angel. I don't know what he meant, but those were the words he used."

"Do they sound familiar to you, Kuchiki taichou?" Unohana taichou asked, looking down at Tetsuya.

Byakuya sighed.

"No...no they do not. But...I think that I have heard someone use that designation before. It is not someone I relish going to. But if he might be able to shed light on Tetsuya's condition, I had best pursue it anyway."

"Who are you talking about, Taichou?" Renji asked.

Byakuya bit at his lip and took a frustrated breath.

"Aizen Sousuke."

Byakuya moved closer to Tetsuya, reaching towards the younger Kuchiki's hand.

"I remember once hearing him say that. I don't remember exactly where of when. But perhaps he will be able to remember what it is."

Byakuya's hand reached Tetsuya's and touched it lightly. As they made contact, reiatsu flared suddenly around the two, enveloping them in bright white light that isolated them from the others. Tetsuya's eyes opened and fixed on Byakuya's, the colored area seeming blaze with golden fire. A moment later, the ends of his black hair turned to golden flame as well. Byakuya's eyes suddenly lightened into an odd silver color and a flicker of silver scales erupted onto his skin.

"Odoriko..." Byakuya whispered, feeling as though someone else was saying the word.

Tetsuya smiled back at him.

"Ryuu," he answered, as if in welcome.

The light around the two glowed brighter, then brighter still until they felt themselves disappearing into it. Tetsuya fell back, his eyes closing and the flame color draining away as he lost consciousness again.

Byakuya's skin lost the odd silver shine and the surface slowly became smooth and pale once more. His eyes darkened and blinked in confusion. Then, slowly, the Kuchiki clan leader sank to the floor.

Renji caught his taichou as he fell, lifting him off his feet and calling out the the fourth division taichou.

"What the hell was that? Could you see what happened to him?" Renji cried.

"No, the light was too bright," Unohana taichou said, shaking her head, "Come, we will put him in the next chamber. And then, I would like you to wait while we gather what information we have on them. I would like you to take that to Urahara-san in Karakura Town."

"What about what Taichou said about Aizen Sousuke?" Renji asked, "Are we going to need to interrogate him?"

"Perhaps. First, let us see if Urahara-san can help us. Aizen Sousuke is dangerous and unreliable. We should only turn to that man if we become desperate."

"Right," Renji said, looking down at Byakuya's face worriedly, "Kami, let's hope that it doesn't come to that!"


End file.
